Yang Xiong's Criterion and Writing Pattern of the Genre of Fu

The misunderstanding of Yang Xiong(53 B.C.-18) on the crition of fu(verse-style prose),i.e.,A poet's fu must observe the principle of beauty.,and his mistakes in criticism,reflect the deviation of theories on the genre from its writing practice during the Han dynasty(202 B.C.-220).Yang's writing pattern as shown in his four famous works of fu,characterized by satire via eulogy,is further proof of the embarrassment faced by theories of fu in practice.Yang's failure in writing and his mistakes in criticism resulted from his theories are the embodiment of the poetic and educational points of view of Confucianism in the theory and practice of fu writing,heralding the historical turn of the genre to aesthetics later.